The Scottish School (Skota Skolo) of Esperanto
Writers - John Sharp Dinwoodie

John Sharp Dinwoodie (1904 -
1980)

Scottish
pastor; classicalist. Dinwoodie contributed to the cultural Esperanto periodicals
Literatura Mondo [Literary World], to 1949, and Monda Kulturo
[World Culture] (1962-6), and to Esperanto en Skotlando [Esperanto
in Scotland]. He collaborated in the production of the first volume of
Angla Antologio [English Anthology] (1957), and was the first editor
of Skota Antologio [Scottish Anthology] (1978). Dinwoodie wrote poetry,
short stories and reviews, and was a highly competent and prolific translator,
particularly of Scottish poetry. However, his contributions to Esperanto literature
did not last long. He did not collaborate in the second volume of Angla
Antologio as he was obliged to give up his literary interests for the sake
of his pastoral duties - a difficult personal decision that was a true sacrifice.

The
publication of the volume of poetry Kvaropo [Foursome] in 1952 marked
Dinwoodie's debut in book form, with three other outstanding poets: William Auld
(1924-2006), John Francis (born 1924) and Reto Rossetti (1909-94), who consciously
formed the Skota Skolo (Scottish School) of Esperanto writers.

Tazio
Carlevaro (in the reference work Esperanto en Perspektivo (1974),
p. 169) perceives a delicate spiritual quality in Dinwoodie's lyricism. His themes
are his love for his wife and compassion for sinners, the origin of whose sins
he detects mainly in prevailing social conditions. The solution to the spiritual
torments of the time are found by Dinwoodie in God and his religious belief as
a Christian.

Another of Dinwoodie's themes is nature. Georgi Mihalkov,
in his essay on nature in Esperanto poetry, comments (in Beletraj Eseoj
[Essays in Belles-Lettres] (1987), p. 28): The landscapes in Dinwoodie's
poems are majestic, although somewhat abstract. In them we do not feel the aroma
of flowering trees as in the poems of Dresen, or ... the profound silence of eventide
as in the poems of Kalocsay, or the concrete details as in the poems of Goodheir.
... Dinwoodie paints majestic images before which we stand in reverence, feeling
ourselves insignificant beings in the bosom of nature and the infinite universe.

Auld
describes Dinwoodie as an authentic poet and brilliant translator, and probably
Esperanto literature's to-date only truly outstanding Christian poet (in Enkonduko
en la Originalan Literaturon de Esperanto [Introduction to the Original Literature
of Eo] (1979), p. 83). Quoting from Dornoj kaj Rozoj: Poemciklo
el Mia G^ardeno [Thorns and Roses: A Poetic Cycle from My Garden], Auld
deems Dinwoodie to be: one of those few who are capable of writing in seemingly
simple and effectively clear verse and not at the same time losing the dynamism
of authentic poetry.

The expression skota skolo for a Scottish
school of Esperanto writers was probably first used in the poem Manifesta Balado
(Manifesto Ballad) - the opening poem in Kvaropo.

Kvaropo
(Foursome)

The Scottish School became a published entity with
the appearance of the volume of poetry Kvaropo (Foursome)
in 1952.

Although the four poets all sing the praises of poet, writer and
editor Kálmán Kalocsay (1891-1976), their great Hungarian forerunner and contemporary,
Auld foresees the collection as a sign of a new generation. Nevertheless,
the explicit aim of the foursome was to continue the literary work of their predecessors,
of whom the Hungarian Kalocsay was the most notable.

Judging from the content
of Kvaropo, the four Scottsmen, in fact, had little in common. They
shared an education in English-language poetry and to some extent used the attainments
of this poetry in their work, while conserving the values of the Esperanto literary
tradition.

In his treatise Kvaropo kaj la Skota Skolo (Kvaropo
and the Scottish School) (2nd ed. 1977), Hungarian literary critic Vilmos
Benczik comments on the four poets differing personalities: Auld
is animatedly impatient, he is aesthetically tuned. ... For Auld, poetry serves
above all as an instrument for communicating his thoughts effectively to the people,
in the first instance on society. There is an important sympathy
with the political left. Francis is an anatomically rigorous, intellectual
being ... (as Auld) with the difference that his interest is more abstract, more
philosophical than that of Auld. ... one supposes disillusionment
with all politics. Dinwoodie inclines mainly to meditation,
melancholy, cultivates purely personal lyricism, with ethical saturation,
is mildly but unmistakably conservative. Rossetti is bohemian,
somewhat light ... clearly inclined to hedonism and palely sympathises
with ideas of the left.

In reality, John Dinwoodie seldom had the chance
to take part in the groups activities, but all four Scottish writers were also
part of a larger group of literati who were then working on the Angla Antologio
(English Anthology) - two volumes of translated English-language works from AD
1000-1960: vol. 1 (1000-1800) (ed. W. Auld and R. Rossetti, 1957); vol. 2 (1800-1960)
(ed. A. Goodheir, 1987).

Later Work

Dinwoodie was
later forced to give up his literary interests for the sake of his pastoral duties
- a difficult personal decision that was a true sacrifice. Francis
went on to produce blockbuster novels, and the older Rossetti to guide by his
erudition, wit and humour. Rossetti also edited two important anthologies
of original Esperanto short stories. Auld continued his work in almost
every literary field until the turn of the century, and remains one of the most
published and respected Esperanto writers.